What, in your opinion, is the best book that you haven’t liked? Mind you, I don’t mean your most-hated book–oh, no. I mean the most accomplished, skilled, well-written, impressive book that you just simply didn’t like.
Like, for movies–I can acknowledge that Citizen Kane is a tour de force and is all sorts of wonderful, cinematically speaking, but . . . I just don’t like it. I find it impressive and quite an accomplishment, but it’s not my cup of tea.
So . . . what book (or books) is your Citizen Kane?
Most of the books I read have something that I like or enjoy, maybe because my reading taste is so wide or perhaps I’m just easy to please. After reading this week’s topic three particular books came to mind, that many people adore, but I for one reason or another don’t. Although I can find positive things about them, when I hear people praising them I will get that “just-stepped-on-a-bug-in-my-barefeet-skin-crawling-shiver.” So here they be:
Moby Dick by Herman Melville – I have tried to read this book so many times, but I know I will never, ever finish it. I feel dumb reading it to be truthful. Everyone talks about all the symbolism and hidden metaphors within this book, but to me it’s about a big whale *shrugs*
The Crucible by Arthur Miller – I hate that I hate this book/play. I adore anything historical about the Salem Witch period, I love, love, love Death Of A Salesman. But The Crucible – blech! Finding out that this was written as a way to fight back literarily against the McCarthyism really ruined it for me. I also hated the historical bits that Miller changed about, I think it would have worked just as well had he stayed closer to actual fact.
Harry Potter by JK Rowling – Yes, yes, I know this is a fabulous series, but towards the last half of the series I got really tired of the way the plot worked. It’s hard to put into words, but I felt like these books were written in such a way that the author wrote the characters into corners, and then *poof* something magical would happen and all would be well again. The Harry Potter series was one I enjoyed reading, but I think I was turned off by the lack of true suspense I would feel while reading.
© 2008-2010 Joanne Mosher of The Book Zombie. All rights reserved.
11 comments:
I second Moby Dick, 3 times I tried. It's not gonna happen.
Also Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee, I mean obviously it's well written and all that but...
Adam
Your answer makes sense to me. I listed three different titles, but after thinking about it, I could create a long list of do-not-want-to-read-at-any-cost books. Please come visit me.
I havent read the first two, but I did read Harry Potter series...twice lol..I loved it.
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
I haven't read the first two but I loved Harry Potter so much!
Hm. I liked reading Harry Potter (all of 'em) but at first it really annoyed me how there was always a twist at the very end, and always the same kind of twist! Then I just figured the author was going to do that every time and started looking for clues earlier in the next book to see if I could figure it out sooner.
I tried Moby Dick without success a few times too. It's too bad, because I actually like Melville's short fiction. But I won't be trying this again.
Twice I tried to slug through By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept and I felt suficated by the beautifyl prose. It is so clean and so well writen yet the storyline bugged me. I kept wanting to yell "Lizzy, dump the schmuck!"
Kathleen Molloy, author - Dining with Death
Beowulf!
Mine would be Cormac McCarthy's The Road & Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera.
Moby Dick and for me Lord of the Rings, one day I hope to finish both of these, but it'll be a long, long time before that happens.
While I did enjoy Harry Potter, I have to agree.The formula was tiresome and even my kids pointed that out :P
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